


Ties That Bind

by superlc529



Category: Castle, Forever (TV)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Family, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Gen, Murder, Mystery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-16
Updated: 2016-08-03
Packaged: 2018-07-24 07:13:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7498992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/superlc529/pseuds/superlc529
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Two bodies. Two murders, but they're connected. One body is in the jurisdiction of Castle and Beckett and the other Henry Morgan and Jo Martinez. They have to work together to find the killer. What could possibly happen when these two sets of partners join forces?</p><p>A Forever/Castle Crossover.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own Castle or Forever… that should be obvious. I've been wanting to write a Castle/Forever crossover story since Forever started, to be honest. And I decided to just go ahead and do it. I've been working on this baby for quite a long time and finally finished it. Timeline-wise, for Castle, this takes place before "Castle, P.I." and for Forever it's a little after "Memories of Murder." I hope you guys enjoy!

Ties That Bind

Morning’s sunrays spread over the small park. Its rays touched down on the plants, the benches and one early-morning jogger. Hannah never missed a day. She was going to keep to her workout routine. Earphones firmly implanted in her ears, mouthing along to her favorite song, she tripped over something in the middle of the sidewalk.

Hannah pulled herself up and looked back to see what she had tripped over. Her eyes widened as she let out a scream. A man’s dead eyes stared back at her.

~*~

The tea kettle let out a loud whistle on the stove. Martha Rodgers picked it up and poured herself a cup of tea.

Castle came up behind the older woman, “Morning, Mother.”

“Oh, good morning, Richard,” Martha smiled and turned to her daughter-in-law coming up behind Castle, “And good morning to you too, Katherine.”

“Morning, Martha,” Kate snagged an apple from the fruit bowl.

“So, how are the newlyweds doing?” Martha took a sip from her cup. Before either Rick or Kate could answer, Beckett’s phone went off.

“Looks like they’re going to be busy,” Castle quipped.

“Beckett,” Kate answered her phone.

~*~

“Haven’t seen something like this in a long time,” Esposito greeted the writer and his muse as they crossed the police tape.

“Something like what?” Beckett asked.

“A bona fide Beckett-flavored murder,” Esposito replied and gestured to the victim. Ryan was off to the side taking Hannah’s statement. Lanie was already kneeling down by the body.

“Whoa,” Castle’s brows went up.

“You can say that again,” Lanie stood up. The victim was a white man, black hair and medium build, probably in his mid-30s. That wasn’t the freaky part. His lower half was that of a black woman. His mid-section was severed in half and then tied loosely back together with rope in a sewn pattern to the woman’s bottom half, from the hips down.

“That’s a man and a woman put together,” Kate stated the obvious.

“Yes it is,” Ryan joined everybody, “Our witness tripped over him on her morning jog. No wallet or ID… for either of them.”

“Any sign of either of their other halves?” Kate grimaced.

“Nada,” Esposito shook his head.

“Somebody had to have seen something,” Castle said, “He obviously wasn’t killed here. There had to be someone to see the killer drag the body out here.”

“Canvas the area,” Kate instructed Esposito and Ryan, “Maybe a homeless person saw something or maybe he was killed in the area. The killer wouldn’t have been able to get very far with the body… or uh, bodies.”

“On it,” Esposito nodded and Ryan followed his partner.

“Dare I ask cause of death?” Kate turned to Lanie.

“Looks like it might be blunt force trauma,” Lanie knelt back down to the body and gestured with her pen to his head. His dark hair soaked up most of the visible blood, but it was noticeable that he had been whacked there, “Time of death… I’d say about three am. I’ll be able to tell you more once I get him back to the lab. I’ll see if I can get an ID on him from his dental records… his other half though? Might have more trouble with that.”

“There’s another victim out there,” Beckett looked grim, “And it looks like we’ve got a psychopath to catch.”

~*~

Dr. Henry Morgan stood gazing out the window of _Abe’s Antiques_. He took a sip of his coffee from his cup. Abe came up behind him, “What you looking at out there?”

“Nothing,” Henry sighed, “Just… thinking.”

“Anything in particular?” Abe started to get the shop ready for opening.

Henry turned around, “No, just watching life outside.”

“That’s a nice switch from the usual,” Abe smirked. A second later, the phone rang. Henry looked at his watch, “That’d be Jo.”

“Hello, Detective,” Henry picked up the handset.

_“One of these days I’ll figure out how you know it’s me without a caller ID,” Jo’s remark came through the earpiece._

“Not today,” Henry smiled.

_“Yeah, well, we’ve got another victim… and you’re definitely gonna want to see this one,” Jo replied._

“Be with you presently,” Henry answered and hung up. He turned to his son, “Duty calls.”

“See you later, Henry,” Abe waved him off.

~*~

Henry adjusted his blue gloves as he came on the scene. They were in an abandoned building. Jo and Hanson were standing by the body, talking to each other apparently waiting for his arrival.

“Well, I don’t think you need me to tell you this one was murder,” Henry came up to join the two detectives.

“Thanks, Doc,” Hanson greeted him with a sarcastic smile.

“Never seen anything like this,” Jo knelt down next to Henry and the body. The top half was that of a woman, a thin black woman around mid-30s, but her bottom half was a man’s. The woman’s head was clearly bashed in and the two halves of the man and woman’s bodies were woven together in a sewn pattern with rope.

“No, neither have I,” Henry tilted his head, taking in every detail of the body in front of him, “Who found her?”

“Some teenagers playing around in here,” Hanson replied.

“Well, she wasn’t killed here,” Jo said, “There’d be a lot more blood… especially since she was cut in half and put together with another person.”

“I agree with you there, Detective,” Henry nodded, “But not because there’d be more blood.”

Jo furrowed her brows and Henry explained himself, “She was already dead when she was cut in half. You can tell by the cauterization of the halves. The same can be said about our male victim. Any sign of his other half?”

“No,” Jo shook her head, “But we’ve got another vic out there somewhere. Once we get an ID on her, we’ll hopefully be able to figure out who he was.”

~*~

“Charles Perry,” Ryan came up to Castle and Beckett by the murder board, “That’s our vic’s name. Lanie just called. He’s a high school teacher from Brooklyn, clean record… except for a parking ticket here and there.”

“How does a guy like that get murdered the way he was?” Castle asked.

“He had to be into something… maybe even both of our vics were,” Kate started to theorize, “Run financials. Do we have a next of kin?”

“Still working on that,” Ryan replied.

“Did Lanie say anything about identifying the woman he was attached to?” Castle asked.

“She said she’d try from some of her DNA, but it’s a long shot,” Ryan shook his head, “It’s not like she’s got fingerprints or dental records to go off of.”

“Toe prints would be too much to ask for, huh?” Castle tried to lighten the mood. Kate gave her husband a side glare.

“Detective Beckett,” Gates stepped out of her office, “Mr. Castle… in my office.”

Beckett nodded off to Ryan as he went to go run Perry’s financials and find next of kin. Getting off the edge of the desk, she headed to Gates’ office followed by Castle.

“Is there something wrong, sir?” Kate asked.

“A friend of mine informed me that another body showed up with a woman’s top half and a man’s bottom,” Gates replied.

“That’s our other halves,” Kate perked up, “Where, sir? We’ll be right on it.”

“The body was in another precinct’s jurisdiction and was already assigned to another detective,” Gates put her hands up, “But given the nature of the situation, I think it’d be best if we worked with them on this one. After all, the victims were tied together.”

“Which precinct?” Castle asked.

“The eleventh,” Gates said, “The case belongs to Detectives Jo Martinez and Mike Hanson.”

“Have they found an ID on the woman yet?” Beckett asked.

“Not yet, but they have their top medical examiner working on the case with their two detectives,” Gates came around the desk, “Dr. Henry Morgan… I’m told by my friend Lieutenant Reece at the eleventh that he is the best. He even works in the field with the two detectives. A bit unorthodox, but then again so are you two. I just got off the phone with Reece. Once they’ve identified the female victim, they’ll be over here to work with you.”


	2. Chapter 2

“Now this is what I’m talking about!” Lucas exclaimed a little too excitedly when Henry filled him in on the case.

“Maybe you should be a little less excited about this, Lucas,” Henry pulled the sheet back up on the body.

“Come on, Doc,” Lucas whined, “How often do you get to see something like this? I mean they’re two bodies bound together by rope. This is what I meant by a little more action.”

“Have you run her dental records or fingerprints yet?” Henry tried to get his assistant back to the task at hand.

“Uh, yeah, actually… I sent her ID to Detective Martinez,” Lucas nodded, “Her name is Stephanie Jenkins. She’s a 32 year old high school teacher in Brooklyn.”

“Hmm,” Henry held a rope fiber up to the light with a pair of tweezers.

“What?” Lucas squinted at what his boss held in his hand.

“Analyze this, Lucas,” Henry carefully handed over the tweezers, “These fibers… they look stronger than that of your run-of-the-mill ropes.”

“Oh, yeah,” Lucas took the tweezers from him.

“Cause of death yet on either of our bodies?” Jo asked coming up to the doctor.

“Blunt force trauma for young Stephanie here,” Henry nodded, “As for her male bottom half, I can’t tell without the full picture. I’m good, but not that good, Detective.”

“You got a time of death?” Jo folded her arms.

“Based on the usual factors, I’d peg her time of death to be around two am,” Henry answered.

“Find anything unusual?” Jo looked at the body, “I mean aside from the obvious.”

“The rope,” Lucas answered for the immortal man.

“Rope?” Jo furrowed her brows.

“The rope used to tie the two bodies together,” Henry gestured with his hands, lacing his fingers together, “It looks like it’s made of a sturdier stock than your average rope. Perhaps if we can identify what type of rope was used, we can find where it’s sold and in turn the killer.”

“Smart thinking,” Jo nodded, “I came down here to also tell you that another body turned up like ours.”

“Fantastic,” Henry smiled, “Let’s go.”

“It was in another precinct’s jurisdiction,” Jo put up her hands to stop Henry from getting any further, “Lieu just briefed me and Hanson… The twelfth precinct is on it. Detective Kate Beckett is working on the case along with Detectives Javier Esposito and Kevin Ryan; and that famous mystery novelist Richard Castle.”

“Oh I love him!” Lucas smiled, “He’s got a real gift with the details of death. I like his stuff even more than _Soul Slasher_.”

“So we can’t do anything?” Henry ignored Lucas. He couldn’t believe that they couldn’t pursue the case.

“On the contrary,” Jo shook her head, “We’re going to work with the twelfth to find our killer… I was just about to go down there to meet with the detectives.”

Henry’s mood changed. Snapping off his gloves, a smile graced his lips, “Let’s go then, Detective.”

~*~

“So we have to work with another precinct on this case?” Esposito folded his arms. He, Ryan, Castle, and Beckett were standing together by the murder board. Half of the board was blank awaiting the second half of the case.

“Anything to help catch this killer, Espo,” Kate replied, “From what I heard from Gates, the detectives that are on the case have a pretty high closure rate.”

“Well that’s good,” Castle stated.

The elevator dinged on the other side of the precinct and Detective Jo Martinez and Dr. Henry Morgan stepped off. Kate’s gaze immediately landed on the doctor and she furrowed her brows. Getting up, she met him half way, almost cutting Jo off.

Coming right up to Henry, Kate smiled, “Eric? What are you doing here?”

Henry looked confused, “I’m sorry, ma’am. I think you have me mistaken for someone else.”

“Sorry,” Kate apologized, “You just look exactly like somebody I met a couple years ago…”

“It’s all right,” Henry assured her, “Might you be able to help us? We’re looking for Detective Kate Beckett.”

“You found her,” Beckett stuck out her hand, “You must be Detective Hanson?”

“No actually, I’m Dr. Henry Morgan,” Henry shook Beckett’s hand, “This is my partner Detective Jo Martinez.”

“Nice to meet you,” Jo took her turn in shaking Beckett’s hand.

“You’re partnered with a medical examiner?” Kate asked.

“You’re partnered with a writer,” Jo returned.

“Good point,” Kate nodded, “Come on, I’ll introduce you to the rest of the team.”

Henry and Jo joined everybody by the murder board. Beckett gestured to everyone, introducing each person, “Guys, this is Detective Jo Martinez and Dr. Henry Morgan from the eleventh. Detective Martinez, Dr. Morgan, this is my husband Richard Castle… and Detective Javier Esposito and Detective Kevin Ryan.”

“Good to meet you,” Jo nodded. They each took turns shaking one another’s hands. Jo turned to Beckett, “And please, you can call me Jo.”

“And feel free to just call me Henry,” Henry echoed, “It’ll save time.”

“I hear you have the other half of our case?” Beckett broached the subject at hand.

“Yes, Stephanie Jenkins is our woman victim. She’s a teacher in Brooklyn,” Jo began and Henry finished, “Did you get an identity on the male counterpart?”

“Yeah, Charles Perry,” Beckett nodded, “You said she was a teacher in Brooklyn? So was our guy.”

“There’s one connection,” Jo observed.

“Where are we on finding Perry’s next of kin?” Beckett turned to her boys.

“He was a bit of a loner actually,” Esposito answered, “Both of his parents passed when he was a teenager and he had no siblings.”

“What about Stephanie?” Ryan looked to Jo.

“Still working on that,” Jo shook her head, “What was COD for Perry?”

“Blunt force trauma with time of death around three in the morning,” Beckett replied.

“Our victim’s COD was also blunt force trauma, but I put her death at two in the morning,” Henry said.

“So your half was killed first,” Beckett started to build a plan, “Doctor… uh, Henry, maybe you can get together with our medical examiner Dr. Lanie Parish and compare notes.”

“I’d be happy to,” Henry nodded.

“Henry, why don’t you do that now and I’ll stay here and we can debrief each other on each side of the case,” Jo said, “Hanson should be coming any minute now.”

“I can give you a ride down to the morgue,” Beckett offered.

“Thank you, Detective,” Henry gave another smile.

“If I can call you Henry, you can call me Kate,” Beckett started to walk to the elevators and Henry followed. As they went off to the morgue, everyone else began briefing each other on their halves of the case. Jo began to fill in their side of the murder board.

~*~

Lanie looked up from Charles Perry’s body to see Beckett walk in, but she didn’t see Henry walk in behind her, “Kate, I was just about to call you…”

“What’d you find?” Beckett came up to the side of the body, Henry right next to her. Lanie continued to look at the body as she answered, “I found a few defensive wounds on the vic’s arms and I think I might’ve found some skin tissue under his fingernails. He put up a bit of a fight.”

“Marvelous, maybe it’s our killer’s DNA,” Henry beamed. At the unfamiliar voice, Lanie finally looked up.

“Lanie, this is Dr. Henry Morgan,” Kate gestured to the man at her side, “He’s assisting on the case. He and his partner have our other half of the victim.”

“Dr. Morgan,” Lanie lit up and started to gush, “I have heard so much about you. You are a legend in the medical examiner community.”

“Well, thank you,” Henry took Lanie’s hand with a smile.

“Kate, this man is a genius. The knowledge he has…,” Lanie was past gushing and into fangirling territory.

“I was hoping you two could work together on the two victims and see what you can find,” Kate interrupted.

“If you like, or if it’s even allowed, you can use my morgue,” Henry offered, half-looking to Kate for permission.

“I can ask Gates, but I don’t think it’ll be a problem since we’re sharing the cases,” Kate nodded.

“It will be an honor, Dr. Morgan,” Lanie smiled.

“Call me Henry. And I’m sure the pleasure will be all mine,” Henry’s charm was on full force, “You said that you found some defensive markings on your victim with some skin tissue under his fingernails?”

“Huh?” Lanie gathered herself, “Oh, yeah… I started running it to see if anything will pop up in our system.”

“I’ll leave you two to it then,” Kate started backing out of the room, “Let me know what you find out on those DNA results from the tissue.”

“Will do,” Lanie answered, but continued to smile at Henry. Kate shook her head and headed back to the twelfth.

~*~

“Got a connection to our two vics,” Ryan greeted Kate.

“Excellent. What is it?” Beckett took the piece of paper Ryan handed over.

“His financials,” Ryan replied.

“What about them?” Beckett shook her head.

“The amount he withdrew every month for the past six months,” Ryan pointed, “One thousand, two hundred, and thirty four dollars and fifty six cents.”

“One, two, three, four, five six,” Castle added, “Odd amount, don’t you think?”

“And our girl withdrew the same amount as Perry each month for the past six months,” Hanson made his presence known. He got to the precinct to join Jo and everyone else not long after Henry and Kate left. He stuck out a hand to Beckett, “Mike Hanson.”

“Kate Beckett,” Beckett shook his hand and quickly got back to the matter at hand, “We find out what they were using this money for?”

“Seems even though they were upstanding citizens with no priors and were school teachers, they had some quirks of their own,” Esposito joined the conversation.

“Quirks?” Beckett handed the paper back to Ryan.

“While you and Henry went to meet up with Dr. Parish, we found Stephanie’s next of kin… her sister,” Jo told her, “Seems she was in deep with a loan shark. She used to have a bit of a gambling problem, but she never got mixed up on the wrong side of the law from it. Her sister thought she was done with it, but apparently not. As soon as we told her sister the unusual amount of money she withdrew from her account each month, she told us about this loan shark.”

“How’d the sister know about the loan shark?” Beckett asked.

“She had gone to him once before too and had to withdraw $1,234.56,” Ryan said, “Gambling had run in the family.”

“Perry withdrawing the same amount can’t be a coincidence,” Castle concluded, “This had to be some kind of hit.”

“It can’t be from the loan shark though,” Hanson started theorizing, “You want your money you’re not going to kill them. You’re going to hurt them.”

“Something else is going on here. We’ll figure it out,” Kate said, “Henry and Lanie are both now working on both our victims. Two heads are better than one. She found what she thinks is some DNA under Perry’s fingernails. With any luck, something will turn up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had to put an obligatory 'Eric Vaughn' joke in there. ;) Hope you guys liked this chapter. Got a bit of busy stuff to do in the real world later this week, but thought I'd share the next chapter. Maybe the next one will come on the weekend... hopefully. Sound off and let me know what you thought! :D


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a busy weekend in real life so I thought I'd post the next chapter before I went to work today. Hope you guys like it!

“Your captain works remarkably quickly,” Henry remarked as he and Lanie entered his morgue. Gates had managed to get permission for Perry’s body to be transferred to Henry’s morgue and have Lanie work with them.

“She’s good,” Lanie nodded and took a look around, “Your morgue is amazing.”

“Yes, well it’s a place to work,” Henry replied.

Lucas came running up to Henry with a piece of paper in his hand, “Hey, Doc! I got the results to the rope that you wanted.”

“Excellent, Lucas, let me see,” Henry took it from his assistant.

Lucas finally noticed Lanie. He tried to be suave, “Well, hello there.”

Lanie raised an eyebrow at the forward greeting.

“I’m Lucas,” Lucas composed himself and stuck out his hand, “You must be one of the detectives from the twelfth?”

“No, I’m their medical examiner,” Lanie stuck out her hand, “Dr. Lanie Parish.”

“Pleased to meet you,” Lucas smiled.

Henry looked up from the lab results on the rope, completely oblivious to Lucas and Lanie’s introduction, “The rope used to tie our two victims together was Amsteel rope.”

“Amsteel rope, knew it,” Lucas nodded, “What’s Amsteel rope?”

“That’s the name of the brand, Lucas,” Henry began to explain, “It’s made out of polyethylene yet it’s as strong as steel and light weight. Basically it’s synthetic steel but used in the form of rope.”

“And our killer used it to tie our victims together,” Lanie stated, “Is it hard to come by?”

“Not exactly,” Henry shook his head, “I had hoped that whatever rope that was used would be rare enough where we could locate where it was sold and try to narrow down our suspects, but you can buy this sort of rope anywhere.”

“Maybe there’s something else on the body that we missed,” Lucas suggested. At Henry’s look, Lucas backpedaled a little, “Not that you’d miss anything, Doc… I’m just saying…”

“How about we switch?” Lanie suggested.

“I beg your pardon?” Henry turned to her.

“How about we switch bodies? You take a look at Charles and I take a look at Stephanie,” Lanie proposed, “Fresh eyes.”

“Good idea, Dr. Parish,” Henry grinned, “Let’s get to work.”

~*~

“Got him,” Ryan clicked on their guy’s picture. They found the loan shark.

“You’re good,” Jo complimented.

“Thanks,” Ryan smiled, “I knew that the odd amount of money rang a bell. He’s in the mob circuit… a loan shark with OCD. Name’s Donnie ‘the Pit Bull’ Matthews. He owns a bar downtown.”

“Jo and I will take him. We’ll see if we can’t get him to admit to knowing our vics,” Kate started a plan, “You boys see if you can look into each of our vics’ call records. Maybe they might’ve known each other through their schools or met up some different way.”

“You got it,” Esposito jumped on to his own computer.

“Just got a text from Lucas,” Hanson gestured to his phone, “Looks like Doc’s found something.”

“Oh, can I come? I’ve always wanted to see what other morgues in the city look like,” Castle perked up. At Hanson’s strange look, he continued, “I’m a mystery writer… it’s purely a professional curiosity.”

“All right, come on,” Hanson gestured with his head to the elevators. Castle jumped out of his seat and followed Hanson.

“Let’s go see our loan shark,” Jo suggested.

“Right, let’s go,” Kate nodded.

~*~

“What is it about these guys that they always run their business from some seedy place of town?” Jo asked rhetorically as she held the door open for Kate.

“I guess it’s part of the job,” Kate shrugged.

“Can I help you ladies?” the bartender asked as they approached the bar.

“We’d like to have a word with the owner,” Jo flashed her badge hooked on her belt as Beckett flipped hers for the bartender to see.

“Just a moment,” the bartender disappeared and reappeared with a heavy-set man looking every inch a loan shark.

“What can I do for you beautiful ladies?” Matthews opened his arms in a welcoming gesture.

“Have you ever heard of a Charles Perry or Stephanie Jenkins?” Beckett opened up the line of questioning.

“Can’t say I’ve had the pleasure,” Matthews shook his head, “Should I?”

“Huh, well, we were under the impression that you were well acquainted with them,” Beckett kept up the pretense she knew Matthews was running. She showed him a picture of Stephanie, “You never met her before?”

“Now, Detective, what would a woman of that stature be doing in a place like this?” Matthews folded his arms.

“Well, you look like the kinda guy who would help a girl in need of some help… financially,” Jo countered.

“Maybe hypothetically speaking,” Matthews shrugged.

“Hypothetically speaking, would a woman like Stephanie here ever come to you for some help?” Jo asked.

“Perhaps,” Matthews handed the picture back to Beckett, “And perhaps if I were to lend money to her, she paid back with interest and never came back.”

“What would, in this situation, would Stephanie need this money for?” Jo asked.

“To get somebody off her back from work,” Matthews replied.

“And how long ago would she have paid you back fully? Hypothetically speaking, of course,” Kate asked.

“‘Bout a week ago… if something like that were to happen,” Matthews shoved his hands in his pockets.

“And where might you have been between one and four am last night?” Jo asked.

“Right here… with my wife,” Matthews replied, “All on camera.”

“Thank you for your time, Mr. Matthews,” Beckett nodded as Jo mirrored her action.

“He may be creepy and full of himself, but I don’t think he’s our guy,” Jo said as she and Kate exited the bar.

“Me either,” Kate shook her head, “If what he said is true about Stephanie’s work, it looks like we should pay a visit to her school and see what her coworkers have to say.”

~*~

“Ah, detective,” Henry greeted Hanson as he came up to Perry’s body. Castle was right at his side.

“Lucas said you found something,” Hanson opened the floor to Henry.

“Yes,” Henry looked excited. He looked to Lucas for assistance and he appeared with a black light and lit it against Perry’s neck.

“Are those faint teeth marks?” Castle leaned forward.

“And they match none other than Stephanie Jenkins,” Lanie popped up on Henry’s other side.

“The two teachers were knocking boots?” Hanson concluded.

“Looks like it,” Henry said, “And it looks like they had a late night tryst the night of their murders. There was some dried saliva belonging to Stephanie on… other parts of Charles’ other half.”

“Didn’t need that mental picture,” Castle closed his eyes.

“We did get the results back on the DNA under Mr. Perry’s fingernails,” Lanie spoke up, “It belongs to yet another teacher at his school with a few priors.”

“What kinda priors we talking about here?” Hanson folded his arms.

“Assault,” Lanie said, “But he did his time and went back to school to finish his teaching degree and got his job at the high school.”

“Let’s bring him in,” Castle clapped and everyone turned to look at the writer, “Sorry, just harnessing my inner Beckett there.”

~*~

Two cars pulled up to _Brooklyn High School_. Out of one car exited Kate Beckett and Jo Martinez. The other let out Mike Hanson, Richard Castle, and Henry Morgan.

“What are you guys doing here?” Beckett asked as everyone came walking up by the entrance to the school.

“We found out that Stephanie and Charles were together,” Castle answered and Hanson continued, “And your ME got the results back to the DNA under Charles’ fingernails. They belonged to another teacher here at the high school, a Lit teacher named Arthur Romeo.”

“How’d things go with the loan shark?” Hanson asked.

“He has an alibi,” Jo answered, “One we’ll check after we’re done here, but Kate and I agree that he’s not our guy.”

“A lit teacher with the last name Romeo… I love it. Let’s go get him,” Castle stated.

After a brief visit to the principal’s office to get Romeo’s classroom number, the three detectives, writer, and medical examiner made their way down the hallway. As they approached the classroom, a man was exiting and locking the door. One glance in their direction and he took off. It was Romeo.

“Hey! Stop!” Beckett yelled and chased Romeo. Jo was hot on her heels with the boys not far behind.

With a hard tackle that would make any football player proud, Beckett handcuffed Romeo, “Arthur Romeo. You’re under arrest for the murders of Charles Perry and Stephanie Jenkins.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have absolutely no knowledge of New York's schools or anything, I just came up with a random name for a high school. So I don't know if there really is a Brooklyn High School... They cleared up the issue about the money. What will this Romeo have to say? Let me know what you guys thought!!


	4. Chapter 4

“Why’d you run, Romeo?” Kate leaned back in her chair, arms folded. Hanson was sitting next to her, arms folded as well. Jo, Henry, Castle, and the boys were in the observation room watching them in the box.

“Yeah, in my experience, guilty people don’t run,” Hanson agreed.

“Force of habit,” Romeo shrugged, “I see cops… I run. Even if all I did was jaywalk.”

“I’d say you did a hell of a lot more than that,” Kate leaned forward, slapping the pictures of the two victims sewn together on the table and turned them around to face him.

Romeo sat up straight, “What? You think I did this?”

Hanson and Kate just stared at him.

“Where were you between one and four am last night?” Hanson asked.

“A party with a few of my friends,” Romeo’s arms were still crossed.

“Isn’t that a bit late for a school night?” Kate countered.

“I ain’t one of my students,” Romeo shrugged noncommittally.

“Ain’t?” Castle scoffed from behind the mirror, “I thought he was supposed to be a lit teacher.”

Everyone nodded their agreement.

“And these friends will be able to corroborate this?” Kate asked.

“Yes. Because I was there; we had some drinks and danced. All in all it was a good night,” Romeo answered.

“So, what, Charles and Stephanie didn’t want to join in on the party?” Hanson tried.

“Why would I kill them?” Romeo was immediately on the defensive, “They were my friends and my coworkers.”

“Yes and according to the principal, you shared a classroom with Ms. Jenkins,” Kate said.

“Did you share more than that, Mr. Romeo?” Hanson leaned forward.

“We went out a few times,” Romeo shrugged, “That’s not against the law. We’re both single.”

“What about Mr. Perry?” Kate pushed his photo closer to Romeo.

“We didn’t go out,” Romeo smirked.

Kate tapped Charles’ picture, letting his sarcastic remark wash right over her, “We found your DNA under his fingernails. Care to explain that?”

Romeo slumped back in the chair, “I’m not saying anything else until I get a lawyer.”

Hanson and Kate exchanged glances. Beckett gathered up the pictures into her folder and wordlessly left the room with Hanson following. Romeo remained slumped back in the chair looking furious at the world.

~*~

When Beckett and Hanson came into the observation room, she immediately looked to her boys, “Espo, you and Ryan see what you can get on Romeo here. Run through his financials again, his background, I wanna know more about those assault charges.”

“On it,” Ryan nodded and led the way.

“You think he’s our guy?” Jo asked.

“My gut’s telling me it’s him,” Kate nodded.

“With his DNA under Perry’s fingernails, it should be an open and shut case,” Hanson said.

“Not if his lawyer can make up another reason for it to be there,” Castle pointed out, “They’d probably find some way to make it circumstantial. We still haven’t found the actual crime scenes for either of our victims. We know they were moved and they were killed within an hour of each other. If we can find his DNA at the crime scene…”

“Castle is right,” Henry agreed, “We have to put him with our two victims if we’re going to expose him as our killer.”

They all headed back to the bullpen when Esposito called out for everybody to come over to his computer, “Yo… I just found something interesting on our boy Romeo.”

“That was quick,” Henry commented.

“What can I say, I’m good,” Esposito grinned.

“What is it?” Ryan appeared on his left and Hanson on his right. Everybody else stood behind him.

“It looks like he had to go see a therapist as part of his sentence for his assault charge,” Esposito pointed at the screen.

“Isn’t that a bit strange?” Castle asked, “Going to see a therapist after committing assault?”

“Not really,” Ryan turned to Castle, “It happens more than you think.”

“Hey, I know that guy,” Jo spoke up.

“What guy?” Beckett placed her hand on the back of Espo’s chair.

“The therapist,” Jo said, “Henry saw him once. Dr. Lewis Farber…”

Henry went pale at the name.

“Doc, you okay?” Hanson noticed Henry’s discomfort.

“Fine,” Henry managed, though it came out as a croak.

“You don’t look so good, man,” Ryan put a hand on Henry’s shoulder, “You sure you’re okay?”

“Actually, Jo,” Henry turned to his partner, “Would you mind terribly taking me home?”

“Sure, Henry,” Jo looked concerned, “Is it because of Dr. Farber? Did something happen to him?”

“No, he’s… out of town. Apologies, I have the oncoming of a headache,” Henry replied cryptically. Castle furrowed his brows at the unusual response. Clearly Henry knew more than he was letting on.

“All right, we’ll keep working. You take care, Doc,” Hanson gave Henry a comforting smile and a pat on the back.

“Thank you, Hanson,” Henry nodded to his other partner. He repeated his apologies to everyone else and led the way to the elevators with Jo following with growing concern.

“That was weird,” Castle commented.

“Not really,” Hanson shook his head, “After he saw Dr. Farber, Henry went through some… personal stuff. His name probably just brought up all his feelings.”

“Let’s keep looking into Romeo,” Beckett said, “And see what else you can dig up on his therapist.”

~*~

“You sure you’re okay, Henry?” Jo turned off the engine. They drove back to the shop in complete silence. That was worrying enough, what with Henry’s inability to remain silent.

“I’m sorry, Detective,” Henry replied. Jo knew seeing Dr. Farber’s name again must have had more of an effect on him than he was letting on. He was calling her by her title rather than her name.

“It appears every so often the after effects of what happened with Clark Walker sneaks up on me and I…”

“You know you can talk to me, right?” Jo felt like a broken record. How many times did she have to say that before Henry took the hint?

“I know,” Henry sighed, “Thank you for giving me a lift home.”

“Of course,” Jo gave him an empathetic smile, “Get some rest and we’ll attack this thing in the morning. With any luck, Beckett and her team will find something on Romeo and the case will be closed.”

Henry nodded and got out of the car leaving a concerned Jo Martinez behind.

~*~

Henry spent the next twenty minutes catching Abe up on the case after failing to evade his son’s concerned questions.

“And now to top it all off, it seems Adam is involved.”

“What, you think Adam is trying to frame this Romeo character?” Abe asked.

“No,” Henry shook his head, “No, I think Mr. Romeo is our killer… I just can’t shake the feeling that Adam’s involved with these murders in some capacity.”

“Just because he saw Adam as a therapist?” Abe wasn’t entirely convinced, “I mean, _you_ saw him…”

Henry sent him a death-glare.

Abe put his hands up in mock surrender, “Sorry. You know what I mean. It could be just a coincidence.”

“Maybe you’re right,” Henry sighed, “After all, who knows how long Adam assumed the identity of Dr. Lewis Farber. Or if there was a real one and he just took over his life. I’m probably just reading too much into it.”

“Right,” Abe agreed.

The phone rang.

Henry shared a look with Abe and slowly made his way to the phone. He carefully lifted the handset and brought it to his ear, “Hello?”

_“Miss me?” Adam’s chilling voice came through the phone._

“So you are involved.”

_“Now, you’re going to have to be more specific than that, Henry,” Adam taunted._

“Our most recent case,” Henry elaborated, “You’re involved with the death of the severed school teachers.”

_“The severed school teachers? God, Henry, you sound like that novelist you’re working with… that was terrible.”_

“Stop it, Adam,” Henry was losing his patience with his fellow immortal, “You were involved in those murders.”

_“Maybe,” Adam’s smirk could be felt through the phone._

“What did they ever do to you?” Henry already knew he was involved. His answer was in his smirk.

_“Nothing,” Adam shrugged, “They did something to our mutual acquaintance Arthur Romeo. They were sneaking around behind his back.”_

“And they deserved to die for that? They deserved to have their heads bashed in and be severed in half? To be tied together?” Henry’s voice rose with each question. Abe looked on the conversation with worry.

_“Everybody dies, Henry… well except for us,” Adam responded, “I have to admit, tying the two halves together wasn’t my idea. That was Romeo’s.”_

“You’re insane,” Henry couldn’t believe what he was hearing, “Both of you.”

_“That’s up for debate.”_

“Why did you call? To gloat?” Henry wanted to know.

_“To help,” Adam stated, “Despite your best efforts, you still haven’t managed to find the actual crime scene… even with two detective teams.”_

“You want to help? Turn yourself in. You’ve killed enough, I’m sure the police would be able to find at least one of your murders to stick,” Henry sneered.

_“Not likely,” Adam’s voice was calm as always, “And you’re one to talk, Henry. You’ve killed too… or have you forgotten?”_

Henry stayed silent. The wound of his righteous kill was still too fresh. It would always be too fresh.

_“You might find a visit to the warehouse district beneficial; especially the farthest abandoned warehouse. Good night, Henry.”_

Adam hung up but Henry still held the phone to his ear.

“Henry? Are you all right?” Abe stepped closer to Henry, “What’d he say?”

Henry didn’t move.

“Dad?!” Abe shook his shoulder. That seemed to bring Henry out of his daze. He put the handset back in its cradle.

“What’d he say?”

“I have to go to the warehouse district,” Henry announced.

~*~

“And he just left?” Alexis asked. Castle was on the couch with his daughter. Beckett sent him home after theory after crazy theory rolled out of his mouth. Not to mention he kept bringing up Henry’s abrupt departure, repeating how weird it was. Hanson wasn’t having it and that’s when Kate asked – or rather ordered him to go home and she’d see him later.

“Yeah,” Castle replied, “As soon as that therapist’s name came up, he turned white as a sheet and then said he had a headache.”

“Don’t you think it might be what that other detective said? Detective Hanson? He said Dr. Morgan went through some things after seeing that therapist,” Alexis was the voice of reason as always.

“He still wouldn’t say what it was,” Castle said.

“No offense, dad, but it’s really none of your business,” Alexis patted him on the shoulder as she got up.

“I know he knows more about that therapist than he was letting on,” Castle wasn’t letting go, “And Ryan found out a little more about his sessions with Dr. Farber.”

“What’d he find out?” Alexis came back over to the couch with a fresh apple.

“Sometimes Dr. Farber would conduct Romeo’s therapy sessions away from the office. It was on the hospital’s log,” Castle said, “They’d go out to the warehouse district.”

“Why’d they go out there?” Alexis cocked her head.

“Don’t know,” Castle shrugged, “There wasn’t much more to it because of doctor/patient confidentiality. Beckett thought maybe it had to do with more of Romeo’s past.”

“Maybe it was just part of his therapy,” Alexis took a bite of her apple. She finished chewing, “They find out anything else?”

“Maybe. That was when Beckett asked me to go home,” Castle’s mind was still racing.

“Well, it’s getting late,” Alexis stood up, “I’m heading to bed.”

Castle’s brows were furrowed still in deep thought.

“Dad,” Alexis made him look up.

“I’m going to bed. It’s late,” Alexis repeated herself, “You should get some sleep too. It’ll help you think more clearly.”

“I will,” Castle assured her.

“Still not sure who the parent is in this relationship,” Alexis shook her head with pleasant teasing. She leaned over and gave Castle a kiss on his forehead, “‘Night, Dad.”

“‘Night, pumpkin,” Castle gave her a kiss back. Alexis went off to bed, but Castle kept thinking about the peculiarity of Romeo going to the warehouse district as part of his therapy.

“I guess I’m going to the warehouse district.”

~*~

Clouds gently floated by the full moon. The moon cast the only light on the rows of warehouses along with a few flickering lampposts. Two men made their way to the farthest abandoned warehouse on either side of the entrance. Making their way to the entrance, they looked over their shoulders to make sure no one was following them. Walking backwards, they bumped into each other’s backs. Castle let out a high-pitched scream and Henry jumped around to face his adversary.

“Castle?!” Henry recognized the other man.

“Henry?” Castle calmed down, “What are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same question,” Henry was suspicious.

“Ryan found out that Dr. Farber conducted some of Romeo’s therapy sessions out in the warehouse district,” Castle explained, “I thought it was a little unorthodox and then I thought about how we still hadn’t found the actual crime scene. So I came here.”

“And you came without your wife?” Henry asked, “Isn’t there proper protocol? If you thought this could be our potential crime scene, why didn’t you ask Detective Beckett to come along with the proper paperwork?”

“I thought it was time sensitive,” Castle said, “Wait a minute, what about you? What are you doing here and without _your_ partner?”

“I think it’s safe to say we’re both here for the same reason,” Henry evaded the question, “We both acted on impulse. Perhaps we should take a step back and come back in the morning with our respective partners and go through the proper channels.”

“Right,” Castle agreed, “We’ll just come back in the morning.”

“I don’t think so.”

Henry and Castle turned to the voice. They found themselves staring down the barrel of a gun held by Arthur Romeo, “You two aren’t going anywhere.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Henry and Castle are always getting into trouble by jumping head first into a situation. In this crossover, I thought it would only be natural for them to find themselves in trouble together... ;) Hope you guys are enjoying it. Let me know what you thought!! :D


	5. Chapter 5

Henry put his hands up in a placating gesture, “Mr. Romeo…”

“Ah ah ah,” Romeo cut him off, “You two were with the cops. You’re not going anywhere. Inside.”

He gestured with the gun. Castle and Henry made their way into the warehouse with their hands up. The inside of the warehouse was large and mostly empty save for some rolls of steel stacked up. On the far side there were two chairs half broken. And on the floor was a very large pool of dried up blood – enough to have come from more than one body. They had found the crime scene.

“Give me your phones,” Arthur made a ‘gimme’ gesture with his free hand.

Castle reached into his jacket pocket and handed it to Romeo. He promptly threw it on the ground and stomped it to smithereens.

“Damn it. That was my third phone this month.”

“Now you,” Romeo pointed his gun at Henry.

“I don’t have a phone,” Henry said truthfully.

“Come on,” Romeo wasn’t buying it, “What idiot doesn’t have a phone nowadays?”

He pointed his gun at Castle, “You. Check him.”

“You really don’t have a cell phone?” Castle asked him as he went through Henry’s pockets.

“I really don’t have too much use for them,” Henry shrugged. Castle went through all of Henry’s pockets and the only thing he found was his pocket watch.

Romeo caught a glimpse of it in Castle’s hand, “What’s that?”

“It’s just a pocket watch,” Castle replied.

“Drop it!” Romeo was obviously not messing around.

“All right. Okay,” Castle gently placed it on the ground. Thankfully Romeo didn’t stomp on it as he did to Castle’s phone.

Henry looked over at the expansive pool of dried blood off to the side, “Why’d you kill Stephanie and Charles, Arthur?”

“They didn’t give me a choice,” Romeo shook his head, “Stephanie was cheating on me with him. Even with the money they gave me for months to get me off their back, it wasn’t enough. It never would’ve been enough. I loved her. They wanted to be together so badly, so I let them.”

“By cutting them in half and tying them together?” Castle’s voice was gruff. He shook his head. The atrocities people could do to one another were astounding.

“Sort of symbolic, right? I’m sure that could be appreciated,” Romeo replied.

“What do you plan to do with us?” Henry got straight to the point.

“I figure I’d kill you and get out of town.”

“At least he’s succinct,” Castle commented to Henry.

“You’ll never get away with it,” Henry said, “Our partners know where we are… in fact they should be here any moment.”

Romeo clicked the safety off the gun, “You really expect me to believe that? They send in a couple of civilians first and then they’re the back-up? I don’t think so. Besides, I gave the idiot detectives that were trailing me the slip about an hour ago. A trick I learned from my therapist.”

“Something tells me this therapist isn’t on the up-and-up,” Castle remarked.

“He’s a genius,” Romeo praised Adam.

Henry took a tentative step forward, “Mr. Romeo… you don’t want to hurt us. It will only add to your sentence. There’s no need to make things worse for yourself.”

Romeo lowered his gun slightly. He seemed to be listening to Henry. As Henry was talking to Romeo, he failed to notice Castle making his way closer and closer to their captor. Castle tackled Romeo knocking the gun free from his hand. Henry ran up and picked up the gun as Romeo and Castle were wrestling on the ground. Romeo was stronger than he looked and got a few punches in Castle’s gut. While the wind was knocked out of Castle, Romeo scrambled up and jumped on Henry.

Castle slowly got up with a couple of coughs. He stumbled over to try and help Henry. Amidst the struggle, two shots went off. Henry and Romeo stood there staring at each other for a moment. When they stepped apart, Henry looked down and saw two circles of red widening in his own chest before he dropped to the ground.

“Henry!” Castle yelled and ran over to his fallen friend. Romeo took his distraction as an advantage and aimed his gun at Castle’s back, ready to fire. During all their fights, Romeo failed to see where he was standing and what had been knocked loose. Before he could let out a surprised gasp, the rolls of steel that had been stacked on the side creaked and rolled right over Arthur Romeo.

Castle jerked around to watch the steel rolls come to a stop. The only remnants of their assailant that Castle could see were his shoes. He quickly turned back to Henry who was gurgling up blood.

“Henry! Just hang in there!” Castle was panicking. His phone was scrap on the floor and Henry didn’t even have a phone. This area was completely abandoned and if Henry didn’t get medical attention immediately, he was going to die.

“Castle,” Henry managed.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m right here,” Castle grabbed Henry’s hand.

“Go to the lower… east side,” Henry breathed. Blood was still coming out of his mouth. Each word was painful.

“What?”

“Lower. East. Side,” Henry repeated, “Stanton and Suffolk. _Abe’s_. _Antiques_ ,” Henry let out. He could feel death creeping up. There was no way of getting around this… Castle was going to see him die. His secret would be exposed. But if he could get Abe to talk to him maybe he could convince Castle to not report it to anybody – especially Jo.

“Henry?” Castle cried. He watched helplessly as Henry let out one last breath. Castle squeezed his eyes shut. Beckett was right. After all these years, his recklessness had gotten somebody killed.

He wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand and opened his eyes once again to be greeted with the sight of…

Empty ground.

“What the hell?”

Castle sniffed and looked around him. Henry wasn’t anywhere to be seen. He got up and surveyed around him once again. Arthur Romeo’s shoes were still by the rolls of steel. So he hadn’t imagined everything. Light caught on something catching Castle’s eye. It was Henry’s pocket watch. Slowly, Castle walked over and knelt down to pick up the watch. What had he just witnessed?

“Stanton and Suffolk,” Castle whispered. He wrapped his fingers around the gold pocket watch and slipped it into his pocket. With a determined look, Castle ran out of the warehouse. He’d find a phone and call Beckett later and tell her what happened to Romeo. Right now, he had a disappearing medical examiner to find. After all this time, he finally found himself in a paranormal situation. It wasn’t nearly as fun as he thought it would be.

~*~

Before he knew it, Castle found himself outside of _Abe’s Antiques_. Why had Henry sent him here? Maybe he was truly losing his mind and he had just left two dead bodies behind at the warehouse. He pounded on the door and didn’t stop until he saw an older man appear when the lights turned on in the shop.

“We’re closed!” the old man yelled.

“Henry sent me!” Castle yelled and held up the pocket watch to the window. That seemed to both ease and worry the man.

He came over to the door and unlocked it, “Who are you?”

“I’m Rick Castle,” Castle introduced himself, “And, uh, I sort of saw… uh…”

For a writer, Castle found that he had no words. He simply looked at the pocket watch in his open palm. The man seemed to get the message.

“Let me get my jacket,” he said. Castle stood frozen in place until he reappeared and passed Castle with a “come on.”

~*~

That’s how Richard Castle found himself seated next to the man from the shop. He drove to the East River and parked near the bank. What had he gotten himself into? After a moment, Castle saw a figure come out of the water. It looked like a man. What was probably a couple minutes felt like a second because the next thing he knew, the man was in the backseat and the older man was back in the driver’s seat.

Castle turned around and met the gaze of a wet and towel-clad Henry Morgan.

“Abe?” Henry looked to the driver, “Let’s head home. Mr. Castle and I have a lot to discuss.”

With a nod, Abe shifted the car in gear and pulled away from the bank of the river.

“H-How? What the hell?” Castle stuttered. He continued to be at a loss for words.

“There’s much we have to talk about,” Henry said, “And I think it should wait until we’re back at my home and I’m dressed.”

Castle just nodded dumbly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I just had to have Castle find out about Henry... Castle's always wanted to be witness to some supernatural stuff. Tell me what you guys think! There are only 2 more chapters left... sound off in the comments! :D


	6. Chapter 6

Henry puttered around the kitchen preparing some tea. In his wildest dreams, he never would’ve thought that tonight would’ve ended like it had. Somebody had witnessed one of his deaths and subsequent disappearance. And it wasn’t somebody he would ever expect. A lot was riding on this conversation. He didn’t know Richard Castle very well. He could only hope he wouldn’t say anything. If not, well, he’d hate to have to run again, but he would despite whatever he felt for J-

“Henry?” Castle cut off his thoughts.

“I was just making some tea,” Henry's hand shook as he placed two teacups down on a tray. Castle could tell he was all nerves.

“Thought we might need it.”

Castle kept staring and Henry could feel his eyes on him.

“I’m sure you have quite a few questions,” Henry started and took a seat next to Castle on the couch.

“You’d think so,” Castle accepted the offered cup, “But remarkably I’m at a loss… what happened over there? Am I losing my mind? I mean I always knew paranormal things existed in the universe or at least I _hoped_. But… I just… how are you here?”

“I was shot,” Henry thought it best to just be blunt and let the chips fall where they may.

“Fatally,” Castle stated, “And then you disappeared… what are you?”

Henry closed his eyes momentarily. He knew Castle didn’t mean anything by those words but they still stung.

“I’m human,” Henry assured him, “But I’m immortal.”

The words hung in the air for a moment. Silence was met by them until Castle’s eyes lit up, “That is so cool!”

Definitely not the reaction Henry thought he would get. Maybe from Lucas.

“How long have you been like this?” Castle was excited now and scooted a little closer.

“Uh,” Henry definitely wasn’t expecting this kind of reaction, “About two hundred years. I was first shot and killed on a slave ship in 1814.”

“So, what,” Castle theorized, “Every time you die, you disappear and reappear naked in the nearest body of water?”

“Yes actually.”

“This is so awesome,” Castle was starting to fanboy a bit, “It’s like you have superpowers. How many other people know about this?”

“Abraham. The man you met downstairs,” Henry answered.

Castle waited for a longer list, but Henry didn’t continue.

“Wait, that’s it?” Castle looked a little disappointed, “You mean Detective Martinez doesn’t know? Or Detective Hanson?”

“No,” Henry shook his head, “And if it’s all the same to you, Castle, I’d appreciate it if it stayed that way… at least for the time being.”

“Yeah,” Castle’s words let out a breath of relief Henry didn’t even realize he was holding, “Of course. Who would I tell? It’s not like anybody would believe me anyway.”

“Thank you, Castle,” Henry reached his hand out to Castle’s shoulder to squeeze it, “You have no idea what this means to me.”

“Can I tell you something?” Castle asked.

Henry just nodded for him to continue.

“I’m glad you’re alive,” Castle said. Henry opened his mouth to respond, but Castle held up his hand stopping him, “I know that must sound weird to you and you don’t know me very well. At all actually… but when I saw you lying on the ground bleeding out, I thought I had really gone and done it this time. Beckett… Kate has always told me that I can be a bit reckless and I know I can be.”

“And I thought after everything we had gone through, after all these years, she had turned out to be right and my recklessness had gotten somebody killed,” Castle confessed, “And then you disappeared. I didn’t know what to think. At first I thought my guilt had eaten away at my brain and made me imagine that you were gone… I can’t tell you how glad and relieved I am that you’re actually okay.”

“Thank you, Castle,” Henry smiled. He of all people should know that you can’t judge a book by its cover. There was more to the writer than what appeared on the surface.

Castle returned his smile and then his eyes widened, “Wait a minute… Romeo. His body is still at the warehouse. When CSU comes in they’re gonna sweep everything and they’re gonna find your blood. And my phone. How are you gonna explain that? How am _I_ gonna explain that?”

“My blood won’t be there,” Henry shook his head, “I don’t know the specifics, but it’s always been a part of my condition. Whenever my body disappears, so does my blood, at least on cement…”

“And as for your phone, well we’ll think of something. After all, you are a writer,” Henry grinned.

~*~

A shrill ringing filled the room. Castle cracked open an eye. What was that? A phone? He jerked up when he didn’t recognize his surroundings. Covers fell off of his chest as he sat up. He looked around and saw Henry talking on the phone. All the events of the previous night fell back into place. He had met and was (hopefully) friends with an immortal.

Best night ever.

“I see you haven’t packed,” Abe commented after Henry hung up. Castle was still waking up on the couch.

“Does that mean everything went smoothly last night?”

“As smoothly as it could be,” Henry nodded, “I think Castle will keep my secret. At least, there’s hope he will…”

“He will,” Abe patted his father’s shoulder. He turned his attention to the writer, “How about some breakfast?”

“That’d be great. Thanks,” Castle joined Henry and Abe’s company, “Who was on the phone?”

“That was Jo,” Henry said, “The case is closed… your wife and the rest of your team found the warehouse this morning and Romeo’s remains along with the blood from Charles and Stephanie. They have more than enough evidence to close the case.”

“Did she say anything about finding anything else there?” Castle asked.

“I told you. My blood vanished when I did,” Henry wasn’t sure what he meant.

“No, I meant my phone.”

“Er, yes… Jo did mention Detective Beckett wanted to talk to you about that,” Henry looked a little sheepish. He did not envy Castle’s position.

“Eh, I’ll think of something,” Castle waved it off, “It’s what I do.”

“Breakfast’s ready,” Abe called out.

“You go ahead, Castle,” Henry put a hand on his back, “I have to get to the morgue and process Mr. Romeo. Lucas will need all the help he can get.”

“Sure?” Castle looked hesitant to overstay his welcome.

“Yes,” Henry gently pushed Castle toward the breakfast table.

Henry grabbed his scarf and wrapped it around his neck in his usual fashion as Castle sat down at the table.

Abe noticed, “What, you’re not staying for breakfast, Pops?”

“Pops?” Castle dropped his forkful of eggs back to the plate, “He’s your father?”

“Yes. I have to go into work early to process the killer,” Henry adjusted his scarf, ignoring Castle’s shock, “Castle will fill you in.”

They watched Henry leave and then turned to each other. Slightly awkward silence filled the air, “You’re Henry’s son?”

“Yeah,” Abe shrugged, “Adopted, but his son all the same.”

“That’s awesome,” Castle smiled. This just kept getting better and better.

“Mr. Castle,” Abe started.

“Just Castle’s fine,” Castle said after he swallowed his eggs, “Thanks for the eggs, by the way. They’re delicious.”

“Thanks,” Abe said quickly and got to what was on his mind, “Castle, you’re not going to say anything about Henry, right?”

Despite his assurances to his father, the very real truth of the matter was that neither one of them knew Castle. Telling Jo would’ve been an entirely different matter. They’d known her for months and knew she was trustworthy. If only Henry could truly see that. But Castle they didn’t know at all. Could and would he really keep this big of a secret?

“You have my word,” Castle was serious, “I won’t say anything. I can tell this is a pretty huge deal. I’ve always known there were supernatural things in this world and now that I’ve met a real immortal… there’s no way I’d ever violate his trust. Plus, I like Henry and I protect those I care about with my whole being.”

“I guess the thank you goes without saying,” Abe could see the truth and loyalty behind Castle’s words.

“You know, I’m actually a big fan of your books. And now that I have you here, I have a question for you about one thing that has always bugged me.”

“Shoot,” Castle put his orange juice down after taking a sip.

“Why’d you kill off Derrick Storm?” Abe needed to know.

“It’s a long story.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only the 'epilogue' left to go... hope you guys have been enjoying this crossover. I had started this story well over a year ago and only just recently finished it after getting some motivation to write. Yes, I had Castle say 'It's a long story.' - It's not only funny because that's usually what Henry says but also because that's usually Castle's response when people ask him why he killed Derrick Storm off... :P
> 
> And I didn't have Henry tell Castle about Adam because why worry him? ;) :)
> 
> Please let me know what you guys thought! I'll probably post the last chapter in the next few days or so. It really depends on my free time/real life. You guys rock! :)


	7. Chapter 7

“I don’t think you need me to tell you the cause of death here,” Henry remarked as he pushed the relatively flat bag of what was left of Arthur Romeo into a freezer.

“What a way to go,” Lucas shook his head with a grimace on his face as he hugged the clipboard to his chest.

“The way we figured it, Romeo went back to the warehouse to try and get rid of any evidence,” Jo folded her arms, “And the rest…”

She gestured to the freezer.

“I’d hate to say this, but this guy had it coming. There’s something to say about karma,” Lanie commented. Since the two cases were connected, Gates and Reece both thought Lanie should be part of processing the killer.

“Yes, well, I’m just grateful this case is closed,” Jo said.

“Hated working with us that much, Detective?” Castle teased as he and Beckett made their way over.

“Couldn’t stand it,” Jo teased back with a smirk.

“I think we made a pretty good team,” Beckett agreed, “Maybe our paths will cross again in the future.”

“Yeah,” Jo agreed.

“Oh good, so you’ll come,” Castle stated without any preamble.

“Come where?” Jo was confused.

“Our loft tonight for a celebratory dinner,” Castle invited, “Everybody’s invited. Henry, you can even bring Abe along. It’ll be my way of paying him back for breakfast this morning.”

“I’m sure he’d be delighted,” Henry accepted the invitation.

“Yeah, Castle told me what happened last night,” Beckett started.

For a millisecond, Henry could’ve sworn his heart stopped.

“He told me that he went to the warehouse without permission… which is why we found his crushed phone under the steel rolls and why he couldn’t call me about it. Still a little mad at him for that,” Beckett gave her husband a look, “And then he went to go see you to see how you were doing and still didn’t call me about Romeo.” She gave him another look. Clearly she wasn’t letting that go.

“I hope he wasn’t an imposition. Castle tends to invite himself places.”

“No bother,” Henry assured her. Castle’s story was very plausible. Maybe he should call him up next time he needs to think of an excuse for one of his disappearances.

“We’ll see you later then?” Beckett asked, “After we finish up all the paperwork of course.”

“Yeah,” Jo smiled, “Yeah, thanks. I’d love to come. I’ll tell Hanson.”

“See you later,” Castle smiled at the medical examiners and detective before turning around and walking out of the morgue arm-in-arm with Beckett.

“You know, they kinda remind me of you two,” Lucas said.

Henry and Jo turned in sync to raise yet another synchronous eyebrow at him.

“It’s a compliment,” Lucas shrugged.

“See you later, Lucas,” Jo walked past him to head up to her own desk. Henry simply shook his head with a smile and headed to his office.

“I see it,” Lanie agreed with Lucas.

“Thank you! Glad to know I’m not the only one to see the chemistry between them,” Lucas was appreciative that somebody else could see the potential between Henry and Jo.

“Don’t worry, it might take time but it’ll happen,” Lanie snapped off her gloves, “It even took Castle and Beckett awhile. Good things come to those who wait.”

“You’re very wise,” Lucas attempted to flirt; he reached out his gloved hand to lean against the freezers and ended up stumbling. Lanie just smiled with an amused shake of her head. He was adorable.

~*~

“I can’t believe you went to that warehouse by yourself,” Martha berated her son as he tossed some sautéed vegetables in his sauce pan.

“You could’ve been killed,” Alexis agreed with her grandmother. Her dad was unbelievably reckless at times.

“Believe me, I know,” Castle said, thinking about Henry, “But luck was on my side… let’s just drop it. I messed up and I know to talk to Kate first next time.”

“Smart man,” Kate came up behind him.

The doorbell rang. Castle handed off finishing the cooking duties to Beckett, but not before sucking some sauce off his finger before heading to the door. He was met with everybody: Henry, Jo, Abe, Lucas, Hanson, Lanie, Ryan, and Esposito.

“What? Did you all carpool?” Castle laughed.

“Yes.”

“No.”

“We carpooled,” Jo gestured to herself, Hanson, Abe, Henry and Lucas.

“And we carpooled,” Ryan nodded to Lanie and Esposito.

“No Jenny tonight?” Castle took offered wine from Ryan.

“Not tonight,” Ryan shook his head, “She wanted me to bring the wine as a peace offering. We couldn’t find a sitter for Sarah Grace…”

“I’ll make sure there will be enough food for you to take home for her,” Castle said and gestured for everyone to come in.

Echoed thanks met Castle as everyone entered the loft.

“Nice digs you got here, Castle,” Hanson marveled at the space, “Man, Karen and I would kill for a place like this.”

“It’s a place to hang my hat,” Castle shrugged.

“It was really sweet of you to invite us to dinner,” Jo said.

“My pleasure,” Castle smiled. He looked over to Beckett who gave him a nod, “And it looks like dinner’s just about ready.”

“I’ll set the table,” Alexis offered.

“Aren’t you going to introduce us?” Martha sidled up to her son. Abe immediately perked up.

“Yes, where are my manners?” Castle shook his head, “The lovely redhead setting the table is my daughter Alexis.”

“Hi,” Alexis waved with a fork. A chorus of ‘hello’ and ‘nice to meet you’ greeted her.

“This is my mother Martha Rodgers,” Castle nodded his head down to Martha. He gestured to everybody respectively, “Mother, this is Dr. Henry Morgan, Detectives Jo Martinez and Mike Hanson. Lucas Wahl and…”

“Abe?” Martha stepped closer, “Abe is that you?”

“Martha!” Abe laughed, “I thought that was you.”

“You two know each other?” Henry looked between the two.

“We went out a couple times some years back,” Abe answered. His eyes never left Martha’s though.

“Small world,” Jo smiled.

“Extremely small,” Castle agreed. He didn’t seem as excited.

“Come and get it,” Beckett didn’t have to say it twice. Everyone made their way over to the table. Martha grabbed Abe’s arm and he immediately turned on the charm. They sat next to each other. Henry and Castle stood side by side watching the scene.

“So…” Castle started, speaking softly so nobody would hear, “Your son and my mother.”

“Apparently,” Henry breathed.

“If they got married, I’d become your grandson-in-law,” Castle turned to the immortal man.

“Yes, well let’s not jump to any conclusions,” Henry wasn’t sure where he was going with that line of thought.

“My mother can be a handful. You better warn Abe.”

“Abe can hold his own,” Henry assured him.

“Seems Mother might’ve just met her match,” Castle watched Martha and Abe smile and laugh like they had never spent time apart.

“Hey, you guys going to stand there all night?” Beckett scooted her chair closer to the table.

“Coming,” Castle jumped and came over to the table. He gave Kate a quick kiss on the lips before sitting next to her. Henry soon followed and took a seat next to Jo on Kate’s other side.

“You all right, Henry?” Jo asked.

“Never better,” Henry beamed and raised a wine glass to clink with his partner, “In fact, I’d like to propose a toast…”

Everyone stopped chatting and looked to Henry. He had his wine glass in the air, “To new friends.”

“To family,” Abe added.

“And to the ties that bind us,” Castle said.

“Always,” Kate smiled as she grabbed Castle’s arm and gave it a light squeeze.

“And forever,” Jo finished. She shared a smile with Henry. With that everyone let out cheers and smiles. It seemed like the eleventh and twelfth precincts had found a kinship – some members more than others. Henry and Castle shared a look and tipped their glasses to one another.

THE END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that's all I wrote. This story took me forever to write (no pun intended). Sorry for the cheesiness there at the end, but I guess I'm a sucker for fluff. I had to have Abe and Martha know each other. I couldn't resist. :P
> 
> I hope you guys liked it and found it (at least for the most part) enjoyable. Let me know what you guys thought! :)

**Author's Note:**

> I love both of these shows so much. Words can't describe it. And now that they've both ended it's a little bittersweet. It turned out to be about 35 pages. I split it into a prologue, 5 chapters and an epilogue. I'll figure out a posting schedule. Maybe like once a week. That's what I used to do with my Smallville stories. Let me know what you guys think!! *bites nails in anticipation of reviews*


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